Reactive Airway Disease Treatment

Reactive Airway Disease Treatment for You

If you have the asthma-like symptoms and suffer from unexplained coughing and wheezing, then you may need to begin the reactive airway disease treatment. Reactive airway disease refers to the inflammation of the respiratory tract that is different from asthma. The diagnosis is more common to children where doctors have limited way to diagnose an illness. The usual symptoms include inflammation of the airway with wheezing. For sufferers, there is an available reactive airway disease treatment for them.

Hospital Care

If the attack is so severe, patients require immediate reactive airway disease treatment to reduce the symptoms. Relatives are advised to bring the patient to the nearest health care facility. The first aid includes the use of oxygen, pulse oximetry and blood pressure kit to monitor the functions of the cardiovascular system and supply more oxygen to the body. Regular nebulization is required to clear the airway from the mucoid secretion. In severe cases, injection with terbutaline or epinephrine will help relieve the problem. If response is good and the attack becomes milder and doctors will shift to oral medications. Bronchodilators will still be given as reactive airway disease treatment. Corticosteriod is given but it should only be taken in moderation. There are long term side effects of steroid use especially in children.

Other possible reactive airway disease treatment is the use of leukotriene inhibitors. The medication works hand in hand with the bronchodilators to improve the respiratory opening.

Home Care

After the acute attack of the illness, one effective reactive airway disease treatment is exercise. Although it does not increase the lung capacity, it improves the amount of oxygen delivered to the organ. With a regular exercise program, patients feel better and prevent the frequent attack of the illness. But because of your existing breathing difficulty, you should never exercise beyond your capacity. Schedule a rest in between your workouts to help your body adjust to it.

Alternative Remedies

For patients who want to complement their doctor’s orders with home medication, there is an alternative reactive airway disease treatment to help you ease your condition. To prevent the attack, you have to mix an equal amount of honey and cinnamon powder and consume it before going to bed. The anti-inflammatory properties of honey help prevent reactive airway disease. Warm milk during bedtime also helps relieve the symptoms. You may even add few cloves of garlic in the milk and allow it to boil.

Prevention

Because there is no immunity developed after a reactive airway disease treatment, patients should be educated about the preventive measures. You have to stay away from pollutants like cigarette smoke and irritating chemicals. You must also see your doctor regularly to monitor your health.

The reactive airway disease treatment should only be done with your doctor’s advice. You should never take any drug without first consulting a health expert. Otherwise, you may end up with more severe complications than what is expected.

Reactive Airway Disease Symptoms

Reactive Airway Disease Symptoms You Should Know

The reactive airway disease symptoms are almost similar with asthma. This is probably the reason why many people and even health care professionals mistakenly classify the illness as a form of asthma. But the two are not the same. Reactive airway disease (RAD) is non-contagious in nature. It results from the inhalation of respiratory irritants which cause the airways to swell and release high amounts of mucous. Unlike regular asthma attack, the reactive airway disease symptoms can come and go. For children diagnosed with RAD, the illness develops to asthma later in life.

Causes

There are several possible causes for the appearance of the reactive airway disease symptoms. The cause may come singly or in combination. Irritating chemicals like exposure to sulfur products is the leading cause of RAD attack among adults. It may also be due to strong odors like perfume or emotional distress. For children, the reactive airway disease symptoms come from respiratory irritants such as mildew, dust, pollen, burning wood smoke and cigarette smoke. Because it is very common in cold places, it is hypothesized that changes in weather conditions might also contribute to the illness.

Symptoms

The reactive airway disease symptoms vary depending on the severity of the attack. But generally, the following are the most common signs observed among patients.

Coughing

Coughing is one of the classic reactive airway disease symptoms. It is actually the defense mechanism of the body to get rid of irritants and the excess mucous in the respiratory tract. The dry cough may go on for several weeks to months and may worsen without medication. One notable observation during the severe cases is the presence of chest retractions. The sign is highly observable among children. Every breath causes their chest to pull in between the skin.

Difficulty of Breathing

Dyspnea, the medical term for difficulty in breathing is another end-stage reactive airway disease symptoms. Patients breathe rapidly and exceed the normal limits of 16-20 breaths per minute. This is to compensate for the reduced oxygen level in the blood. For severe attacks, the dyspnea may lead to life threatening situations and thus, the patient requires oxygen supplementation until normal breathing resumes.

Wheezing

The wheezing as reactive airway disease symptoms may easily be mistaken for the wheezing in asthma. Both are caused by the obstruction and narrow airway passages. The sound may be heard by listening from the back of the patient or with the use of stethoscope.

Swelling of the Respiratory Tract

During the whole duration of the illness, swelling of the respiratory passages combines with the other reactive airway disease symptoms. Again, this is the body’s response to the irritants present. The inflammation leads to a narrower airway and as a result, breathing difficulties occur. To relieve the problem, doctors often prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs and bronchodilators. They can be taken orally or as inhalers. In more severe cases where immediate reaction is required, injection is the preferred administration.

Reactive Airway Disease in Children

Reactive Airway Disease in Children – Understanding your Child’s Respiratory Problem

Reactive airway disease in children is more difficult to diagnose compared with adults. This is because of the limited diagnostic procedures that are available for them. Oftentimes, pulmonologists or pediatricians make the diagnosis through the demonstration of signs and symptoms similar to asthma. Although the illness is not contagious, it can present serious complications like difficulty in breathing. If you are concern with the cough and wheezing of your child, here is a list of useful information for you to better understand the reactive airway disease in children.

Cause

There is no single cause for the reactive airway disease in children. But generally, it is due to the exposure of the child to chemical irritants, smoke and environmental factors. Due to the decreased susceptibility of children during the attack, they are more prone to viral and bacterial infections. If you have a family history of frequent respiratory illness, you transfer the genes to your child which makes them predisposed to the problem.

Symptoms

Wheezes are the common symptoms of reactive airway disease in children. This is the sound of air as it passes through the narrow airways. Doctors or even you as parents will hear the sound by listening to the breathing sounds from the back. On the early onset of the disease, the child will experience fast and shallow breathing accompanied by dry cough. As the problem worsens, the patient shows chest retractions and breathing difficulties. Because the child may have difficulty expressing the symptoms, the warning signs for parents include bluish discoloration of the lips and nails, irritability, loss of energy and loss of appetite. If you see any of these signs to your child, you have to get an emergency treatment. Otherwise, the reactive airway disease in children may cause fatal complications.

Treatment

The treatment for reactive airway disease in children includes the use of bronchodilators and leukotriene inhibitors. The two drugs help dilate the airway passages to reduce the obstruction. The bronchodilators allow the free passage of air in the respiratory tract. The drugs are considered as prescription medications and they must be used only with the guidance of a qualified health professional. This is because some of them especially the steroids have side-effects after prolonged use or overuse. In case of reduced oxygen delivery, doctors may require oxygen supplementation to assist the child in breathing.

Home Assistance

Aside from the regular medication, you can also introduce home remedies to treat reactive airway disease in children. You can prepare a mixture of honey, lemon and cinnamon powder and give it to your child before bedtime. The anti-inflammatory properties of these home ingredients help relieve the symptoms of reactive airway disease in children.

Prevention

Reactive airway disease in children is preventable for as long as you know the stimulus that triggers the attack. Most children develop the illness after exposure to irritating chemicals and smoke from fumes and cigarette. Remember, even the secondhand or third hand smokes have deleterious effect to a diagnosed patient. Thus, it is important to notify each member of the household to refrain from smoking if one of your children is affected with the illness.

Reactive Airway Disease in Adults

Reactive Airway Disease in Adults – Classic Symptoms and Treatment for RAD

Reactive airway disease in adults is a type of respiratory problem affecting millions of people worldwide. The illness is often incorrectly classified as a type of asthma attack. However, experienced health professionals know that the two are different conditions. Most often, the term is used if the symptoms cannot be classified in any other respiratory problem category. The attack often arises from exposure to airway irritants like sulphur, ammonia, chlorine and other strong chemicals. Because of the connection of the illness to your work, it is also known as the work related respiratory illness.

Symptoms

The onset of symptoms for reactive airway disease in adults happens within 24 hours after the exposure to a chemical irritant. The signs occur as mild or as severe attack depending on the duration of exposure. The chemical causes a rapid irritation in the respiratory lining which causes it to swell. Coughing and wheezing develops after a few days and breathing difficulties immediately follows. In many cases, excess mucous production is also seen which further leads to discomfort.

Diagnosis

Although the reactive airway disease in adults is similar with the symptoms of asthma, it is important to make a correct diagnosis. Anyway, it is easier to make the differentiation in adults compared with children. There are more tests that your doctor can perform to help him make an accurate diagnosis.  One example is the spirometry test to determine the lung capacity. He can also do X-ray test to visualize the lungs and rule out other respiratory illnesses.

Treatment

Correct diagnosis of reactive airway disease in adults will have a great impact in the treatment of the respiratory disorder. The initial medication includes the administration of corticosteroid therapy to relieve the symptoms of the illness. However, this should be taken in the correct dosage to prevent complications and adverse reactions. Inhalers may also help reduce the discomforts especially the breathing difficulty. You may also take steam inhalation as a home remedy for reactive airway disease in adults to help unclog the airway passages and improve your breathing.

Prevention

Because the reactive airway disease in adults is a work related problem, it is quite difficult to prevent the illness especially if it is your line of work. What you can do is to wear mask whenever you expect an exposure to the chemical. You must also refrain from smoking to reduce the possible stimuli that trigger the attack.

Researches

There are continued researches to better help clinicians distinguish the illness with other respiratory problems. In fact, other professionals oppose the use of the term as it only gives a vague medical picture to patients and prevent the professional from looking further for the exact diagnosis. But unless there is a medical evidence to fit a specific profile, the use of reactive airway disease in adults will prevail in the field of medicine.